Yebng's page

I don't suppose anybody FAQ'd that did they...I prefer not to rely on a house-rule when the general interpretation can swing so wildly, as your two threads show. However I'm glad I could continue your theme of re-asking this question in a new thread just about every year.

I'm thinking that instead of wizard I would go sorcerer but take the Arcane bloodline, I love some of the powers it grants, than make my bonded item a ring with a gem fitting the description for magic jar set in it and then also crafting it up into a ring of charisma, then I need only pick up one item from my body instead of virtually everything, I'll see if maybe I can't talk my gm into letting me take Natural Spell...might need to go amulet instead so that all animals would be able to wear it

do you modify her DC's accordingly? I'm guessing she has some sort of charisma boosting gear on her actual person. That's a good call on the tongues spell, I wouldn't have thought of that, at least not until it was too late. What about spell casting if she's jumps into an animal or some other magical beast that can't speak or make the appropriate somatic gestures?

Wow, now that I started thinking about that, that would also mean that my wizards ring of vast intelligence shouldn't count towards the DC's of any spells cast while possessing the subject of my Magic Jar. That spell has a lot more drawbacks than I had previously considered

Well that certainly puts a kink in the whole use of Magic Jar for disposable casters

Can a wizard who chooses the bonded object for his arcane bond still cast spells normally while possessing another creature with magic jar? Since, "If a wizard attempts to cast a spell without his bonded object worn or in hand, he must make a concentration check or lose the spell."

The level 10 druid opted not to, and air bubble only lasts min/lvl so while it would work to ease the gunslinger's plight during combat it's not a longterm solution. It's a sandbox game so as long as the party wants to stay near the coast they will, also assuming they succeed in the overall endeavor of artifact recovery the cleric who they will report back to should be able to remove the disease. If they fail I expect them all to become pirates and thus the whole campaign will move into the water.

For the record I settled with afflicting two of the players with lycanthropy, weresharks to be specific, hope they stay near the coast.

The geas-quest prevents the rogue from handing over the artifacts to anyone but the head cleric from the city, though if the rogue dies then the party is free to do as they like and got a free resurrection and the wrath of a very popular church

Background: So I've recently started a one shot that has turned into a weekly game, because of this I've kinda been playing fast and loose and have missed a few things they they did that they shouldn't have but also missed some stuff my mobs could have done but didn't, I also opted not to TPK them last week, but it would've been really easy. Anyway started the party at 9th, they've all achieved 10th now. Started at 4 players and am now at 6. I'm very generous with my players, I give them full hitpoints every level and we're playing out of a large town so generally speaking if they need spellcasting services or new magic gear/items they have access to it and the money to purchase it. Now last week I killed their Orc Fighter (as opposed to the TPK) and in order to pay for his resurrection the Rogue agreed to recover some artifacts from a sunken temple of Gozreh, the Cleric hit him with a Geas-Quest to keep him honest. The rest of the party agreed to the terms but no one else was hit with the spell since the rogue did all the talking.

Problem: So herein lies the problem, the party had full knowledge that the temple was at the bottom of the ocean, or at least pretty deep. The party also had just recently gotten paid for providing information on a missing princess (8k a piece) and they had about 15-20k worth of party kitty to work with. Instead of buying anything to assist with underwater combat, nor even a boat to get out there they all opted to upgrade basic weapon and armor enchantments. The plan was to have the temple guarded by a menagerie of naturally lycanthropic sea creatures (twisted descendants of the clerics who sank with the temple some 400 years ago), I was also going to give said creatures a couple of class levels to bring the challenge rating on par with what the party should be fighting and because they are the protectors of a Temple to Gozreh and should have class levels for verisimilitude.

So: What do I do, the only player who stands a chance is going to be the druid, but as a lion shaman (and a relative newcomer to pathfinder) she's going to be hurting somewhat, the (meta-seasoned)Gunslinger didn't purchase and Dry Load ammunition, nor even a potion of air bubble, and as a party they only bought 4 potions of water breathing for the 6 of them. Near the end of last session I put them up against a lower level Black Dragon, who had his lair underwater, just to try to drive home the point that they lacked appropriate equipment, but they opted to lure out the dragon and then send the wildshaped druid in to rescue his loot, a tactic that won't work at the temple. The way I see it, if they try to go down there as is then some of them are definitely gonna die, but it's their own fault, and I already held back last time they went somewhere unprepared.

Any thoughts? I know I posted an ocean(wink wink nudge nudge) of text, but the game is tonight and I'm at a loss.

Thanks

1. Don't see anything that would rule it out
2. Probably Arms and Armor as caltrops are a weapon-like item.
3. Caltrops already ignore Armor, Shield, and Deflection bonuses, making them brilliant energy as well will only ignore the +2 circumstance AC bonus for wearing boots and prevent them from harming Undead and constructs.
I don't see anything that would allow caltrops to ignore DR so you may get more out of just carrying bags of caltrops made of silver, cold iron, or adamantine, alternatively get them blessed or desecrated so they align good or evil.

There was an equivalent weapon of this type back in 3.5, naturally i no longer have those resources. I'm pretty sure it went from longbow to longsword or shortbow to short sword though. If you could find that it might be a real easy port into pathfinder

Oh and answering a question posted way earlier, Hemlock is expensive because it takes a stat other than con and makes it so that when it's reduced to 0 the opponent dies instead of just going unconscious or being helpless.

Since pathfinder treats poisons as an affliction, like a disease or a curse, instead of the alchemical item it is, rules/a system is not in place to accommodate the creative crafting of poisons. I've looked into a logical system for increasing cost based off of DC or type or type of damage but so far despite all of my playing with poisons I just haven't found a rough formula i liked

Green prismatic poison is a spell, it's effect functions as a poison so it's included in the list but it can not be crafted, only called into being via the prismatic spells.

Oh and I forgot to mention that on your next level you qualify for the daggermark poisoner prestige class, 1 level of that cuts your craft time in half, so you could then easily be making the equivalent of 12 to 18 doses per week.

3 levels in this class will net you something closer to the equivalent of 348 doses with a weeks worth of work assuming you have the money to support a habit like that

Now granted if i run an alchemist I can do even better but at this point what does it matter?

Rogue Poisoner can still work, it takes a slightly different path than the alchemist but can still be effective.

1: Master Alchemist as your 5th level feat, I'm guessing as a poisoner you've been putting ranks in every level so you easily have the prerequisite 5 ranks, this means you craft poisons 10x faster, and can create multiple doses at once so technically a rogue with a 16 int crafts poisons 30x faster just based off your intelligence and that 1 feat.

2: Whereas the alchemist has discoveries you have talents, namely Swift Poison-Move action to apply, and lasting poison-applied poisons last for 2 successful hits, you can also grab the advanced talent deadly cocktail allowing you to put two poisons on the same weapon at the same time, assuming you have the lasting poisons talent that equals 4 saves if you can hit someone twice, put similar effect poisons and you can easily drop someone right there.

3: Master poisoner class ability, with 1 hour of work you can turn that injury poison into an inhalant, which if you throw at the intersection of squares means you can dose 4 enemies with that 1 poison. Also you are getting a bonus on your craft alchemy equal to 1/2 your rogue level.

4: Skill Focus, use it

5: play human, take heart of the fields alternate racial trait-+1/2 character level on particular craft check

6: Take feat Prodigy-+2 more craft poison

So 5th level master poisoner with int 16 should be pulling 5 ranks +3 class skill +3 ability modifier +2 class ability +3 skill focus +2 heart +2 prodigy= 20 base so average roll of 30

Now pick high save, low cost poisons, don't worry too much about their effects, I like purple worm at 700gp personally, base save of 24, requires 2 consecutive saves to cure

24*30=720, so one week of work (normal quality) nets you 3 doses each of which lasts for 2 successful attacks when placed on a weapon so lets call that the equivalent of 6 doses in one week at a cost to you of just 1 dose had you purchased it, assuming you can find someone who sells it in the first place.

I call that viable, especially since shy of a natural 1 its impossible to fail that craft check by 5 or more which would mean destroying half your raw materials, so its virtually risk free

great idea, thanks

I've been tossing around this great idea of a necromancer/illusionist, where he augments his actual undead minions with a horde of illusionary ones. More bluff and brains than brawn to be sure. Figure eventually I'll use shadow conjurations to give the hordes some combat effectiveness but I'm struggling with figuring out the proper race/class/classes combo to do this. I'd like to use Sorcerer for the charisma boost to bluff and intimidate, but that means slowing my access to spells and his versatility. Considered mixing in cleric for the undead control, but that again means slowing spell progression. Any thoughts on a viable combo?

I think your idea is awesome, and as a GM would totally allow it, and since you're effectively giving up the added combat might of leadership, I would even be ok with you having a revenue stream from this. Ideas like this are what make the game great for me.

Presuming your close enough, it would resolve as a touch attack, so armor is less of an issue, i think the challenge here is primarily the expense of getting a strong enough powder to not only offset the damage of the bullet but also provide useful healing, other potions alchemically reduced in this way could actually prove worth it though

It's very pretty, I'll be interested to see how well they integrate the pf system with all it's variants and archtypes

Is this implying a firefly anime?

hmm...cram session huh, never heard of a homebrew rule like that before but i like it. What do you think would be fair for that?... half their level worth of crammable points, no possible class bonus(even if its a class skill for him), takes an hour to cram, and retention lasts for hours*lvl?

yeah I'm definitely giving him the 25 point buy, I was going to stick with the medium progression and just dumb down the encounters, seeing as he'll only need a 1/4 of the xp to level as the whole party generally would have, he will likely still level faster than the AP is designed and assuming he doesn't get too far ahead I have no problem with this.

I haven't actually read up on sixfold trial, but i'll keep in mind the need for npc actors, thanks.

I figure that I can tweak a few of the CoW to fill specific roles, like skill monkey and healer on the limited occasions where I feel them absolutely necessary, but I'd prefer not to keep a constant NPC party with him if I can help it.

I should mention that this will be his first game ever. While generally I don't intervene in player death, I imagine I will at least the first few times for him, but even should he actually die I have a contingency plan in place in which he becomes a petitioner and can earn his way back to life in a new and improved form. So while death is possible it isn't going to be permanent as long as he is having fun and wishes to continue.

Hey all I've just started the process of converting this AP for a single player and am curious if there are any specific things/encounters that I should watch out for. My player is running an Aasimar Synth Summoner using a 25 point buy and double starting wealth. My general plan is to throw either a 1/4 of the enemies at him or if quantity can't be reduced that much then either half the enemies at 1/2 health or all the enemies at 1/4 health, or some appropriate combo of the above so that the AP retains the appropriate feel.

Having said that, any suggestions?

it could always just voluntarily skip the grab on the claws

A bit like my own, gluing two portable holes onto a fullplate and have the enemy swing their sword in the air, while im killing them :p

Wait...you can glue portable holes...

Personally I'd skip both the Arcane Armor feats and just take Still Spell instead, Stilled spells are only 1 lvl higher and the difference between the armor bonus of something like full plate vs. mage armor is massive, as much as 10 points depending on how it's enchanted. I have an EK with folding plate as his arcane bond and still spell, that way I don't have to worry about actually taking the time to don the armor and when it's inconvenient for spell casting or movement i can be rid of it. I know you said low magic but it's possibly the best arcane bond an EK can get

ooh, Ultimate Challenges, I like the sound of that, I'd accept a simple template, monster builder section in a book full of traps, haunts, and hazards, and rules for creating new ones of those

I so want to make a setting with a blink dog messenger service now.

Greg

Strange, I want to play a halfling mounted archer with a blink dog as my mount.

you can die while wearing a ring of regeneration, unlike the universal monster ability it doesn't specifically say you can't die from hit point loss, so yeah inferior.

I'll grant you however that you have found the only way to acquire swallow whole, hope your DM allows a synthesist, or even a summoner in general.

But that doesn't change the point I was driving at, the goal should be an instruction manual for the BUILDING of monsters not just a plethora of brand new monster bloat.

Shy of very unique magic items there are a ton of things monsters can do that no PC will ever achieve. I read a post the other day about a guy building a character who was a chef that could eat his foes, but guess what swallow whole is a purely monster ability that a PC just can't get. You want a trolls regeneration, good luck, you can get something close but it's clearly an inferior ability when put next to the troll.

So while I agree that for most things you are using the same set of legos, pcs, npcs, and monsters all have some unique legos of their own.

The real request here isn't for a new set of legos, its for a series of blueprints that help demonstrate which legos can attach to which other legos and for an easy CR calculation of your new creation.

Definitely a GM resource, though I do think that updates to the summon spells to account for monsters released in bestiary 2, 3, and potentially 4 would be nice hat tip to players, and well within the potential theme/scope of the book.

Instead of making it constant make it command word, and then use wood shape instead of warp wood which calculates as a +10800gp. Alternatively you could use the transformative weapon enhancement at +10000gp, it doesn't specify that you can change reach category but otherwise it's the most appropriate preexisting enhancement. Though unless you made it a free or immediate action to change shape it couldn't threaten at both 5 and 10 ft at the same time.

Concur with everything above, a monster building guide for GMs, with a plethora of templates suitable for everything from dragons to plant monsters.

Craft as you adventure, get a covered wagon for your travels and just work it out with your party so that they cover for you on crafting/traveling days. I try to scribe a 1st level spell (2 hours) every night in the skull and shackles game I'm in

I'll admit to being a bit of a power gamer, but I haven't had too many problems because of it, of course i always have a back story, and unless I'm playing a rogue I try to play in the background as often as possible. In the campaign I'm playing now I actually turned down a magical set of armor and kept my plain old hide armor cause it didn't match my character's concept, which has given me a nice little cushion of good will with the gm.

Summoner with a flying eidolon qualifies for an arcane archer pretty easily... no multiclassing required. Elf it up for bow proficiency and away you go!

+1

Summoners are fantastic for creating those hard to hit builds

You're a dwarf, build a sunder monk using Manuever Master and the dwarf monk favored class bonus, focus on disarm and then sunder armors to cripple your opponents for easy clean up

Cause it would allow me a +11 quarterstaff atk at 2d6 +14 dmg

So I'm playing a melee druid in skull and shackles and am about to reach lvl 4, so far the general flow of combat goes bull strength, shillelagh, flank, and power attack.

But level 4 brings me wild shape, which prompts my question, can I wild shape and retain the use of my quarterstaff assuming I'm wild shaping into a medium sized primate such as an orangutang or chimpanzee. I still have a generally humanoid bipedal form with arms and hands, and I still have a druids weapon proficiencies. Does my quarterstaff have to meld into my new form or can i keep that out? In the event that it has to meld is there a "wild" enchantment to weapons equivalent to the one for armor?

Yeah I'm really trying to break them of the habit of doing things only for their own benefit instead of for good RP. If I tell them about it then either they will stay together only for that reason or they will make sure someone is outside their 30 ft radius when they attempt a PK, which they will do at some point. If I leave it a mystery initially and the nightly health regen and auto stabilize appear to be DM fiat, but they are all luckier on their saves when they are together then maybe they will just choose to stay together on their own. I am considering maybe giving them like a tingling of the skin whenever they are within 30ft of one another as a hint that something is going on but letting them know the workings of an extra bonus is just asking them to abuse it sadly.

The goal of course would be that the original characters never die (auto stabilize within 30ft), but future characters would stay together because they actively sought out joining the remnants of the originals, who should gain a fair measure of fame over the course of the campaign.

aren't there some favored class bonuses that allow you to reduce the nonproficency penalty by 1 each level until it reaches 0?

The minotaur part is left out and its a straight -4 to attack even if proficient but according to d20pfsrd the double crossbow is in the APG and thus absolutely legal.

I'm in the process of building a massive (and potentially brutal) campaign. I've play tested it before with my group of friends and several of them died, in a large part to their own stupidity (aka running off in 4 different directions). I'm trying to think of a way to subtly encourage them to work together better, and I've come up with what follows. It functions like a secret teamwork feat, and while they won't know they are benefiting from it initially, it's entirely plausible they will discover it eventually. The PCs are brought together through a magical explosion that sucks them from this (rl) world into the fantasy world they will be playing in and as such I'm calling their secret feat Gamma Boost or Gamma Resonance.

Gamma Boost:

If 2 PCs with this ability are within 30ft of one another they grant each other the following benefits:
1. +1/3 per level resonance bonus to saves
2. +1hp per level resonance bonus to hp regained from resting
3. Automatic stabilization when dying.

Bonuses stack for each additional teammate with this ability within 30 ft and fractions of course round down.

And so I ask is this too much of a boon to grant them?

It ties together nicely with the story and encourages the party to both stay alive and stay together, as any original PC who should happen to go down for good reduces the leveling bonuses he could have contributed. I have enough of the story plotted that, with one exceptional, and small, time frame, replacement PCs will not have this ability.

So using Concentrate Poison for Drow Poison normally a DC 13, makes a DC 15 instead, if I concentrate again with another Drow poison(DC 13) are they still considered to be the "same poison"?

"Concentrate Poison

Benefit: The alchemist can combine two doses of the same poison to increase their effects...."

Potio Venefirous
Male Human (Taldan) Alchemist 10
N Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +14
--------------------
DEFENSE
--------------------
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15. . (+5 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 65 (10d8+20)
Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +4
Resist Poison Resistance +4
--------------------
OFFENSE
--------------------
Spd 30 ft.
Melee Sickle +8/+3 (1d6/20/x2)
Ranged +1 Light Crossbow +10(11)/+5(6) (1d8+1(2)/19-20/x2) and
. . Bomb +9(10) (5d4+5(6) Fire) 10(11) fire splash
Special Attacks Bomb 5d4+5(6) (15/day) (DC 20), Delayed Bomb, Sticky Poison
Alchemist Spells Prepared
--------------------
STATISTICS
--------------------
Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 12
Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 19
Feats Brew Potion, Prodigy(craft[Alchemy]), Skill Focus(craft[Alchemy]),Point Blank Shot, Master Alchemist, Implant Bomb, Precise Shot, Throw Anything, Skill Focus (Use Magic Device)
Traits Potent Concoctions(Drow Poison, Purple Wyrm Poison), Artistic Dilettante(craft[alchemy])
Skills Acrobatics +7, Bluff +11, Craft (Alchemy) +44(51), Heal +14, Perception +14, Profession (Chef) +16, Sleight of Hand +15, Spellcraft +18, Stealth +10, Use Magic Device +20
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, Common, Draconic, Elven, ...
SQ Fast Poisoning (Move Action) (Ex), Mutagen (DC 20) (Su), Poison Use, Precise Bombs (5 squares) (Su), Swift Alchemy (Ex), Rebirth
Combat Gear +1 Mithral Shirt, +1 Light Crossbow, Mwk Sickle; Other Gear Alchemy Lab, 10 Purple Wyrm Poison DC 25, 1d3 STR 1/rd for 6 rds, 2 saves (concentrated: DC 27, 1d3 STR 1/rd for 9 rds), 5 Drow Poison DC 14, unconscious 1 min/ 2d4 hours 1/min for 2 mins(concentrated DC 16, unconscious 1 min/2d4 hours 1 min for 3 mins)
--------------------
SPECIAL ABILITIES
--------------------
Alchemy +10 (Su) +10 to Craft (Alchemy) to create alchemical items, can Id potions by touch.
Bomb 5d4+5 (15/day) (DC 20) (Su) Thrown Splash Weapon deals 5d4+5 fire damage.
Fast Poisoning (Move Action) (Ex) Apply poison to a weapon as a move action.
Mutagen (DC 20) (Su) Mutagen adds +4 to a Physical attribute, -2 to a mental attribute, and +2 natural armor for 10 minutes/level.
Point Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Poison Resistance +4 (Ex) +4 to save vs. Poison.
Poison Use You don't accidentally poison yourself with blades.
Precise Bombs (5 squares) (Su) Whenever the alchemist throws a bomb, he can select a number of squares equal to his Intelligence modifier that are not affected by the splash damage from his bombs.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into combat.
Swift Alchemy (Ex) You can construct alchemical items in half the normal time.
Throw Anything Proficient with improvised ranged weapons. +1 to hit with thrown splash weapons.
Clone A clone master can prepare a clone of himself that awakens if he is slain. Creating the clone costs 5,000 gp, takes 1 week of work, and requires 3 additional weeks for the clone to grow to maturity. If he dies, the clone awakens as if the alchemist had used the clone spell on himself. He can have one inert of himself at a time. Unused clones created by a clone master do not rot.
Focused Study Human Alternate Racial Trait Skill Focus (Craft[Alchemy])@ lvl 1, Skill Focus (Use Magic Device) @ lvl 8
Heart of the Fields Human Alternate Racial Trait Craft(Alchemy) +1/2 character lvl (5)

Ok 1: I didn't really outfit this guy, 2: I didn't bother with his extracts known. I didn't calculate in the effect of his mutagen but I'll let you know now that it will affect his dex boosting his odds to hit at range. You may look and think low damage potential but the key here is realizing that it only takes him 2 days to craft 5 vials of his purple wyrm poison, and as almost no one is making that save, he will be dealing an avg. of 18 points of str damage to anyone he hits, so he only has to hit someone once and 9 rounds later, or in just under a minute they will be unconscious or at the least immobile. And while his bombs do less damage, with delayed bomb and implant bomb he can leave a final surprise for anyone who successfully kills him, then jump into his clone, spend 2 weeks removing those pesky negative levels and do it all over again. With poison conversion he can turn that purple wyrm poison into an inhalant, thus effecting a 10ft by 10ft square with each vial, vials which he can freely pass to all his friends. Forced into melee, no prob sticky poison means he gets can poison up to five opponents per vial of poison. And he's crafting them all himself in a matter of days, not weeks, so significantly reduced costs (1/3) and easy to acquire/stock up on.

Side note, he's able to do 90% of this at level 6

I've built a few good alchemists. The one I'm working now is all about poisoning foes to make them unconscious and then implanting bombs in them and allowing them to live and return home. But he is chaotic evil and a ranged type so perhaps not the best example here.

If you want to go melee heavy load up str and con and just use mutagens, feral, greater, grand, growth, though that tree takes longer to climb.